Alimony Representatives of Owings Mills

Spousal Support

Alimony is a common feature of divorce settlements, intended to provide an adequate standard of living for one spouse who was financially dependent on the other during the course of a marriage. If you think that you may be eligible for alimony payments, or you want to contest your spouse’s request for alimony, you will want to contact an experienced attorney like Kent L. Greenberg to represent you in your divorce. Because alimony can be a complex and hotly contested area of divorce proceedings, it is best to seek the experience and objectivity of a lawyer who can advocate for you in and out of the courtroom.

Types of Alimony

Generally, alimony is intended to provide support for a spouse while he or she seeks job training or schooling to become self-supporting over a predetermined period of time. There are, however, circumstances in which alimony may be rewarded for an indefinite period. Below, you’ll get a closer look at the different types of alimony possible in a divorce and the reasons these may be rewarded.

Alimony pendente lite – This type of alimony is requested at the time you file for divorce, and it is only intended to maintain the status quo during the divorce process. That means that one spouse will make payments to the other as the divorce is finalized, but there is no guarantee of post-divorce alimony.

Rehabilitative alimony – Most often, spouses will be awarded rehabilitative alimony, which has a set period determined by the length of school or job training programs. The average length of rehabilitative alimony arrangements is between 3 and 10 years.

Indefinite alimony – When a spouse has an illness or disability that will limit reasonable progress toward self-support, indefinite alimony may be awarded. This type of alimony is also given when an ex-spouse’s standard of living is unconscionably disparate from yours. Because the state of Maryland does not have a set standard in place for defining “unconscionably disparate” and alimony is awarded on a case by case basis with this parameter, this is an area where a lawyer may be particularly helpful in the decision making process.

How Alimony Is Determined

Much like child support, there are many factors considered when it comes to alimony agreements. In the state of Maryland, judges must consider all factors necessary for a fair and equitable award, including the ability of the spouse in need to become self-supporting, the couple’s standard of living during marriage, the length of the marriage, the health and age of each spouse, and the financial status of the spouse who would pay alimony.